Simulators as Drivers of Cutting Edge Research

Undertaking engineering research can be compounding for beginning graduate students and thwarting even for seasoned researchers. With a wealth of academic literature and a myriad of software development and open-source computing tools available online, the life of a researcher should have become much easier. However, the overwhelming body of knowledge, that is increasing rapidly by the day, quite frequently often confuses a researcher about things that should be done. It is normal to find beginning graduate students who are clueless about how they should conduct their research. Similarly, part of the onus shifts to the academic supervisors too. They are equally oblivious about delivering worthwhile problems and adequate supervision to their students. This position paper is written in this wake. The motive is to highlight important ideas about how good research should be conducted in today's multidisciplinary academic world. A particular intention is to highlight the importance of employing domain-specific simulators for successful research. More specifically, it is argued that in order to conduct good quality research in various scientific and academic disciplines, it is not only important, rather inevitable to employ simulators for conducting cutting-edge research. It is hoped that taking heed from this paper would lead to better research and make research a more fulfilling and enjoyable experience for the researcher.